Plastics material modular pallet

ABSTRACT

A plastics material modular pallet, comprising a plurality of supporting elements operatively coupled to one another by at least a further element cross arranged with respect to the supporting elements. The pallet according to the invention can be fitted to a plurality of load requirements, which can be easily carried out by the pallet user. Further, the invention offers ease of production, low maintenance and low cost.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a plastics material modular pallet.

As is known, in the industrial shipment field are broadly used palletsfor bearing and/or supporting any types of loads such as parts ofapparatus, half-finished products, cisterns or tanks and so on.

Prior pallets are conventionally made of wood, steel or plasticsmaterials. In particular, plastics materials are very advantageous owingto their small weight, strength and atmospheric agent resistanceproperties and are quickly replacing the other mentioned materials. Thisreplacement relates specifically the pallets provided for supportingand/or bearing cisterns or tanks for carrying different types ofliquids, up to a specific gravity of about 1.9 Kg/dm³.

While the above mentioned prior pallets solve the indicated technicalproblem, they are affected by the following disadvantages.

The wood or steel pallets are affected by a lot of drawbacks directlyderiving from the material forming said pallets. In particular, woodpallets can be easily spoiled under the effect of atmospheric agents,and their mechanical strength characteristics are susceptible to greatlychange in the time; the steel pallets, on the other hand, have a greaterstrength, which, however, is related to a significative weight increase;moreover, steel pallets must be properly protected against corrosion.

Plastics material pallets would allow to overcome the main problems ofthe other material pallets and, since plastics material pallets can beconstructed with a modular construction, they would be very practical inuse.

However, prior plastics material pallets are also affected by two typesof drawbacks.

The first is the practical impossibility of changing the pallet strengthdepending on the load. In fact, for example, the cisterns supported bysaid pallets can be filled with greatly different specific gravityliquids: i.e. specific gravity values from about 1 Kg/dm³ for water toabout 1.4 Kg/dm³ for food liquids and up to about 1.9 Kg/dm³ for specialliquids used in some industrial processes.

It should be apparent that, as the liquid changes, also the strengthproperties of the pallet would be changed, thereby it would be necessaryto use pallets of different size, depending on the load to be supported,or it would be required to use pallets designed for supporting, the loadcapability of the cistern being the same, the liquid having the greatestspecific gravity.

In both cases, the pallet cost would greatly increase.

The further drawback of prior plastics material pallets for supportingcisterns is the corrosion in the time of the collecting tray thereof.The latter, which is conventionally arranged under the faucet of thecistern, is provided for collecting possible liquid leakages occurringas the stored liquid is poured, which leakages, in the case of thenoxious liquid, would be very dangerous.

In particular, since the collecting tray is made of steel, it is much ormore corroded in the time: thus, it is necessary to replace the overallpallet in order to allow an efficient collection, since the tray cannotbe separated from the pallet. Thus, in this case too, the involved costfor the user would inevitably increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the abovedisclosed drawbacks of the prior art.

To achieve the above aim, the invention provides a plastics materialmodular pallet, very practical in operation, efficient, constructionallysimple, which can be fitted to any load requirements and used withoutany maintenance requirements.

Briefly, according to the invention, the above aim is achieved by aplastic material modular pallet comprising a plurality of supportingelements, operatively coupled to one another by at least a furtherelement cross arranged with respect to said supporting element, saidcross arranged element including a plurality of recesses for engagingtherein one or more structural reinforcement elements.

The plastics material modular pallet according to the invention ischaracterized by the characteristics disclosed in claim 1.

The plastics material modular pallet according to the invention providesthe following advantages.

Each pallet according to the invention can be fitted to a lot ofdifferent load requirements, by quick and simple fitting operations,which can be easily carried out by the pallet user.

A further advantage is that the subject pallet is practically free ofany maintenance requirements, and, moreover, it would not be necessaryto replace the pallets because of the disclosed tray corrosion problems,with a self-evident reduction of the operation cost.

Finally, the individual components of the pallet according to theinvention can be easily made by known making method on conventionalexisting pallet making lines, with very small modifications to theexisting systems. Thus, the pallet making cost can be compared to thatof a prior pallet, whereas the operating cost is much smaller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics, advantages and constructional details of theplastics material modular pallet according to the present invention willbecome more apparent from the following detailed disclosure, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodimentof the invention is shown by way of an indicative but not limitativeexample.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the plastics material modular palletaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, as partially cross-sectioned, the pallet shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a further top plan view of a first element included in thepallet shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view, as partially cross-sectioned of the elementshown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a further top plan view of a second element included in thepallet shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front view, as partially cross-sectioned of the elementshown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 6a is a cross-sectioned side view of the element shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a third element included in the palletshown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a partially cross-sectioned front view of the element shown inFIG. 7.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the number references of the above disclosed figures,the plastics material modular pallet 1 according to the inventioncomprises a pair of outer elements or longitudinal members 2, a centralelement or longitudinal member 3, and a further element cross-arrangedwith respect to the preceding elements, or cross-member 4.

The outer longitudinal members 2 are provided, at each end portionthereof, with a prismatic recess 5 for engaging therein and anti-tiltingtie-member, whereas, at the middle thereof a female recess 6 is providedwhich, as it will be disclosed more apparent hereinafter, will allow thetie member 4 to be easily fastened.

The central longitudinal member 3 is provided, at each end portionthereof, with a pair of prismatic recesses 7, also provided forreceiving therein the end portions of said anti-tilting tie members,whereas, at the middle thereof, is provided a further female recess orcoupling element 8, identical to the disclosed female coupling element6, and having the same function.

On one end, above one of said pair of recesses 7, a collecting tray 9 isprovided, said collecting tray being made of the same plastics materialused for making the pallet 1 according to the invention, and,accordingly, being devoid of any corrosion problems.

The tie or cross member 4 is arranged perpendicular to the abovedisclosed longitudinal members 2, 3 which are parallel to one another.Said cross-member 4 is provided at the top thereof, through the overalllength thereof, with three C-shaped recesses 11 for engaging therein acorresponding number of metal reinforcement elements designed formodifying the value of the maximum load allowable for the overall pallet1.

At the bottom thereof, the cross member 4 is provided with threeattachment or male elements, of hook shape, 10 which, upon engaging inthe female coupling elements 6, 8, will firmly fasten the cross-member 4to the longitudinal members 2, 3. As shown, through the outerlongitudinal members 2, the central longitudinal member 3, as well asthrough the cross-member 4, a plurality of holes 12 are provided, saidholes being specifically designed for receiving therein a correspondingself-threading screw in order to fasten on the top of the pallet 1 ametal sheet panel, providing the bearing base for the load to besupported.

In this connection it should be apparent that the shape and size of theseveral elements constituting the plastics material modular palletaccording to the invention can be changed depending on requirements,without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The assembling and operation of the plastics material modular pallet 1according to the present invention can be easily deduced from thepreceding disclosure.

Actually, after having arranged the longitudinal members 2, 3 in aparallel relationship with respect to one another, and after havingassembled in the provided recesses 5, 7 the anti-tilting tie or crossmembers, the cross-member 4 will be fastened by engaging the three hookmale elements 10 in the female recesses 6, 8, after having suitablyarranged them on the outer longitudinal members 2 and centrallongitudinal member 3, and, finally, in said recesses 11 a set number ofreinforcement elements will be engaged.

A metal sheet panel is then fastened by self-threading screws engaged insaid holes 12, to the thus assembled pallet 1.

In this connection it should be pointed out that, upon assembling, thepallet 1 cannot be manually disassembled, but, for disassembling it, itwould be necessary to use suitable disassembling tools for disengagingthe cross member 4 from the longitudinal members 2, 3.

The thus made pallet 1, with the addition of a metal cage fastened bythe same self-threading screws to said pallet, can support, for example,a liquid filled cistern or tank: in this connection it should be pointedout that it would be possible to modify the maximum load which can beapplied on said pallet, by removing the metal sheet panel and modifyingthe number of metal reinforcements provided in said recesses 11 on saidcross-member 4.

The, the pallet 1 could be stiffened or reinforced again, depending onthe amount of liquid filled in said cistern, and depending on the liquidspecific gravity.

As the pallet 1 is used for supporting different elements, then it wouldbe still possible to modify the maximum strength values of said pallet,by removing or adding said metal reinforcement elements, which operationcould be easily and quickly carried out.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plastics material modular pallet, comprising aplurality of supporting elements (2, 3), operatively coupled to oneanother by at least a support element cross-arranged (4) with aplurality of recesses (11) for engaging therein one or more structuralreinforcement elements, a support element (2) comprising an outerlongitudinal element having a first and second end portion (5), opposedby a support element (2) comprising an outer longitudinal element havinga first and second end portion (5) and between them a support element(3) having a first and second end portion (9), each having, at a middleportion thereof, a female coupling element (6) for engaging therein acorresponding male coupling element (10) provided on bottom of across-arranged support element (4), characterized in that said two outerlongitudinal elements (2) are provided with a plurality of holes (12),at each end portion (5) of said two outer longitudinal elements (2), arecess for engaging therein a corresponding end portion of a tie member,a support element (3) between two outer longitudinal support elementscomprising a plurality of holes (12), and at each end portion a pair ofrecesses for receiving a corresponding end portion of two tie members,whereas on an end portion a plastics material tray (9) is provided, saidcross-arranged support element (4) is provided with a plurality of holes(12) and at the bottom thereof, with three hook male connecting elements(10) and, at a top thereof, with three C-shape recesses (11) designedfor engaging therein up to three structural reinforcement elements.